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NKT cells play important roles in immune surveillance. They rapidly respond to pathogens by detecting microbial glycolipids when presented by the non-classical MHC I homolog CD1d. Previously, ruminants were considered to lack NKT cells due to the lack of a functional CD1D gene. However, recent data suggest that cattle express CD1d with unknown function. In an attempt to characterize the function of bovine CD1d, we assessed the lipid binding properties of recombinant Bos taurus CD1d (boCD1d) in vitro. BoCD1d is able to bind glycosphingolipids (GSLs) with fatty acid chain lengths of C₁₈, while GSLs with fatty acids of C₂₄ do not bind. Crystal structures of boCD1d bound to a short-chain C₁₂-di-sulfatide antigen, as well as short-chain C₁₆-αGalCer revealed that the Á pocket of boCD1d is restricted in size compared to that of both mouse and human CD1d, explaining the inability of long chain GSL's to bind to boCD1d. Moreover, while di-sulfatide is presented similarly compared to the presentation of sulfatide by mouse CD1d, αGalCer is presented differently at the cell surface, due to an amino acid Asp151Asn substitution that results in loss of intimate contacts between the αGalCer headgroup and CD1d. The altered αGalCer presentation by boCD1d also explains its lack of cross-activation of mouse iNKT cells and raises the interesting question of the nature and function of bovine lipid-reactive T cells.

Human infections with subtype H7 avian influenza viruses have been reported as early as 1979. In 1996, a genetically stable 24-nucleotide deletion emerged in North American H7 influenza virus hemagglutinins, resulting in an eight amino acid deletion ...

Ca(2+)-independent lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) is a member of the phospholipase A(2) superfamily with a distinguishing characteristic of high specificity for oxidatively modified sn-2 fatty acid residues in phospholipids tha...

A licensed vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is unavailable, and passive prophylaxis with the antibody palivizumab is restricted to high-risk infants. Recently isolated antibodies 5C4 and D25 are substantially more potent than palivizumab...

Since its discovery 75years ago, a wealth of knowledge has accumulated on the role of cardiolipin, the hallmark phospholipid of mitochondria, in bioenergetics and particularly on the structural organization of the inner mitochondrial membrane. A surg...